Soup
Here's the promised food stuff. I figured I'd kick things off with the basics: soup, as cooked in Russia. Obviously, I can't speak for all Russians, and others with more experience should feel free to correct me -- I'm sure crybaby or oblomskaya know far more than I do -- but this is how things are done in my family. Keep in mind that this isn't "traditional Russian" cooking, in the sense of how things were done 200 years ago, but just what I'd expect from a regular homecooked meal.
First, a few basics. When it comes to Russian soups, there's a few things to remember:
1) Forget the blender. Russian soup, with very few exceptions, has recognisable pieces of recognisable vegetables etc suspended in their stock. You have no idea how long it took my mother to discard this rule in order to cook pumpkin soup (a thoroughly non-Russian dish).
2) With the exception of borsch, which Russians mysteriously insist is not soup at all, there is no precooking. Not even for onion.
3) Russian soups have a distinct identity. Resist the temptation to throw in everything you have in the fridge. (Substitutions are possible, but this makes a new recipe -- try the original before doing anything exotic.)
4) The same goes for seasoning: parsley and dill are all you need. Add them at the very end, *after* the heat has been turned off.
5) Cream does not belong in any Russian soup I know of, but sour cream belongs in many. Add it to individual bowls after serving, don't ever add it to the whole pot. In some cases, noodles, rice or egg are added to a bowl first and then the soup ladled over it -- this depends on the actual recipe.
The most basic technique is as follows: bring water to boil, add finely chopped onion and carrot (this is the soup base), boil them for a while while you dice the potato, add the potato and whatever else goes into the particular soup you're making and then cook until potato is done. Add a handful of chopped dill and/or parsley and serve with or without sour cream.
With that in mind, here's a good example: brussel sprout soup. When I was little, I used to think brussel sprouts were a treat (doll-sized cabbages, how cool is that!), and I'm convinced that the reason I loved them was because mum only ever served them in this yummy soup.
Mum's Brussel Sprout Soup
1 onion, diced small (1/2 cm cubes -- don't grate or process)
1 large carrot, diced small
500 g brussel sprouts, any damaged outer leaves removed
1 large potato, diced (1 cm cubes, bigger than the carrot, but not too big)
1/3 - 1/2 cup egg noodles, broken into smallish bits if long
1 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
salt
sour cream, to serve
In a 2 litre pot, bring about 1.8 L of water to the boil. (Some of the water can be replaced with chicken stock - I sometimes add a single cube of chicken stock to just under 2 L of soup.) Add onion and carrot, allow to boil for 10 mins or so while you dice the potato. Add potato and brussel sprouts, throw in the peppercorns, cover and simmer for another 15 mins. Add noodles and about 1/2 to 2/3 tbsp salt -- taste to make sure it's enough. Simmer another 10 mins or until the potato chunks can be easily cut with the edge of a spoon. Remove from heat, add dill, and allow to sit for at least 5 min. When serving, make sure to ladle from the bottom so that everyone gets some noodles/vegies/stock. Pass around the sour cream to let everyone serve themselves a dollop into their bowl (1/2 to 1 tbsp is usual, depending on personal preference).
Variations:
Classic vegetable soup -- replace brussel sprouts with green cabbage cut in narrow strips; add 1 cup green peas (frozen okay) 5 min before the end of the cooking time. Serve with sour cream.
Mushroom soup -- replace brussel sprouts with fresh sliced mushrooms. Serve with sour cream.
Spinach soup -- omit the peppercorns, replace brussel sprouts with fresh or frozen spinach, replace noodles with 2 tbsp semolina (added at the same time as the potato). Add juice of 1 lemon. When serving, crush 1/2 hard-boiled egg into each bowl and ladle hot soup over it. Add 1 tbsp fresh parsley in addition to the dill. Serve with sour cream as above.
Fish soup -- replace noodles with 1/3 cup rice (added at the same time as the potato), add 1 x 400 g can salmon (or equivalent in fresh salmon) and 1 cup finely chopped celery at the same time as the potato. Add 1 tbsp parsley in addition to the dill. Serve as is, without sour cream.
First, a few basics. When it comes to Russian soups, there's a few things to remember:
1) Forget the blender. Russian soup, with very few exceptions, has recognisable pieces of recognisable vegetables etc suspended in their stock. You have no idea how long it took my mother to discard this rule in order to cook pumpkin soup (a thoroughly non-Russian dish).
2) With the exception of borsch, which Russians mysteriously insist is not soup at all, there is no precooking. Not even for onion.
3) Russian soups have a distinct identity. Resist the temptation to throw in everything you have in the fridge. (Substitutions are possible, but this makes a new recipe -- try the original before doing anything exotic.)
4) The same goes for seasoning: parsley and dill are all you need. Add them at the very end, *after* the heat has been turned off.
5) Cream does not belong in any Russian soup I know of, but sour cream belongs in many. Add it to individual bowls after serving, don't ever add it to the whole pot. In some cases, noodles, rice or egg are added to a bowl first and then the soup ladled over it -- this depends on the actual recipe.
The most basic technique is as follows: bring water to boil, add finely chopped onion and carrot (this is the soup base), boil them for a while while you dice the potato, add the potato and whatever else goes into the particular soup you're making and then cook until potato is done. Add a handful of chopped dill and/or parsley and serve with or without sour cream.
With that in mind, here's a good example: brussel sprout soup. When I was little, I used to think brussel sprouts were a treat (doll-sized cabbages, how cool is that!), and I'm convinced that the reason I loved them was because mum only ever served them in this yummy soup.
Mum's Brussel Sprout Soup
1 onion, diced small (1/2 cm cubes -- don't grate or process)
1 large carrot, diced small
500 g brussel sprouts, any damaged outer leaves removed
1 large potato, diced (1 cm cubes, bigger than the carrot, but not too big)
1/3 - 1/2 cup egg noodles, broken into smallish bits if long
1 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
salt
sour cream, to serve
In a 2 litre pot, bring about 1.8 L of water to the boil. (Some of the water can be replaced with chicken stock - I sometimes add a single cube of chicken stock to just under 2 L of soup.) Add onion and carrot, allow to boil for 10 mins or so while you dice the potato. Add potato and brussel sprouts, throw in the peppercorns, cover and simmer for another 15 mins. Add noodles and about 1/2 to 2/3 tbsp salt -- taste to make sure it's enough. Simmer another 10 mins or until the potato chunks can be easily cut with the edge of a spoon. Remove from heat, add dill, and allow to sit for at least 5 min. When serving, make sure to ladle from the bottom so that everyone gets some noodles/vegies/stock. Pass around the sour cream to let everyone serve themselves a dollop into their bowl (1/2 to 1 tbsp is usual, depending on personal preference).
Variations:
Classic vegetable soup -- replace brussel sprouts with green cabbage cut in narrow strips; add 1 cup green peas (frozen okay) 5 min before the end of the cooking time. Serve with sour cream.
Mushroom soup -- replace brussel sprouts with fresh sliced mushrooms. Serve with sour cream.
Spinach soup -- omit the peppercorns, replace brussel sprouts with fresh or frozen spinach, replace noodles with 2 tbsp semolina (added at the same time as the potato). Add juice of 1 lemon. When serving, crush 1/2 hard-boiled egg into each bowl and ladle hot soup over it. Add 1 tbsp fresh parsley in addition to the dill. Serve with sour cream as above.
Fish soup -- replace noodles with 1/3 cup rice (added at the same time as the potato), add 1 x 400 g can salmon (or equivalent in fresh salmon) and 1 cup finely chopped celery at the same time as the potato. Add 1 tbsp parsley in addition to the dill. Serve as is, without sour cream.